


Sleep is for the Weak

by Faithful_Sigyn



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Could be read as Gen too, Domestic Fluff, Living Together, M/M, Nygmobblepot, Sleepiness, Working At Home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-11-18 01:04:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11280513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faithful_Sigyn/pseuds/Faithful_Sigyn
Summary: Oswald isn't used to staying up all night like Edward is, and when a work task drags on into the night, he begins to lose the fight to sleep while Ed doesn't seem to be faltering at all.





	Sleep is for the Weak

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt by otp-imagines-cult on Tumblr (re-posted from my blog, thepuzzlepirate):  
> Imagine your OTP trying to pull an all nighter. Person B is fine, but Person A is clearly tired after a few hours; however, they don't want to sleep, and want to stay up with B. B lays A down and puts their head on their lap, stroking their hair and telling them to sleep. 
> 
> Written as a shipped piece, but can be read as close friends as well.

It wasn’t at all unusual for Edward to stay up all night to finish work on a project, but it was rare that Oswald would attempt to join him. Most of the time Ed would be working on something completely irrelevant - fiddling with odd bits of mechanics, working on some sort of puzzle, researching whatever topic had most recently caught his eye, or any other activity he was perfectly capable of doing alone. And even if Oswald did want to spend some time with him, the other man would eventually get tired and wander off to bed, muttering about how Ed needed to reconsider his priorities. That thought never lingered until the morning though, and when Oswald came down to find his friend seated in the same position he’d been left in, it was generally replaced with concern that Ed should be sleeping more.

But tonight was a little different: for once this task revolved around work, which meant Oswald was actually as invested in it as Ed was. It hadn’t looked like a particularly tricky task at first glance, just a brief check over of the books to make sure the King of Gotham’s less than savoury dealings weren’t reflected in any official documentation. So they had initially intended to get this done while there was still light streaming in through the windows, but night had seemingly appeared out of nowhere to foil that plan.There had been a brief discussion of stopping for the day and turning in, but Ed hadn’t been willing to give up so easily. And Oz had apparently taken that as a challenge and insisted he would be able to stay up and work as well. 

The yawn from the smaller man suggested he might not be able to live up to that claim though, and Ed found himself clicking his tongue almost impatiently in response to it. **“I did say you could go you know; I can finish this on my own.”** It was surely only stubbornness keeping Oswald here anyway, and a tired brain wasn’t going to do anything but create troublesome mistakes in their work. The pair of them were sat on the floor by now, the necessary evidence having taken up too much space to remain on the desk like they’d intended it to. And it was now just an awkward tangle of crossed legs and bent knees (something Oz had understandably grumbled about when they’d first shifted to the floor) and paper as far as the eye could see.

**“I said I’m fine, I’m not even tired,”** Oswald snapped back at him, gaining a sigh and a smile back from his companion. Obviously he wasn’t tired, no, that was why that had sounded so calm and not at all grumpy. But fine, they’d persevere.

… For a while anyway. Because as time went on, the yawns became more frequent, and Ed slowly became aware of a growing pressure against his left shoulder which turned out to be Oswald’s sleepy form slowly leaning further towards him as the hours ticked on. 

Most people would think such a sight was a sweet one, their partner dozing off against the comforting pillow of their arm, and even Ed did have to admit that he at first took a moment to stare at the other figure unconsciously curling closer towards him. And then he got irritated, twitching the limited muscle of his upper arm so Oswald jumped slightly and sat up straight again. 

The expression that met him as Ed frowned down at the now startled awake face, seemed almost hurt, though that was hidden behind a charade of embarrassment as Oswald offered a half-hearted, **“Sorry, I must have doz-”**

**“If you’re going to sleep, don’t lean on my arms. I’m writing, it’s inconvenient.”** Ed’s attention had gone quickly back to the paper he had been scribbling on, leaning forward to reach for a file that he wouldn’t have been able to get to with Oswald still resting on him anyway. But the other man was frowning slightly in confusion while Ed carried on working as though nothing had been said.

**“I beg your pardon?”** The simplest way to clear up any misunderstanding, of course.

There was another moment of hesitation as Ed’s gaze shifted across to a string of numbers jotted down a few hours earlier on one of the memos they were investigating. **“If you’re going to fall asleep then just lie down.”** Apparently that hadn’t cleared things up enough for Oswald, who opened his mouth to question him again when Edward suddenly added, **“Just come here.”** He pulled the surprised looking Oz back towards him again, but instead of lining him up against his shoulder like before, he pulled the smaller man down further until his head was lying on one of Ed’s crossed legs. **“Good, now you’re out of my way.”**

It hadn’t been the most gentle of gestures, and Oz’s instinctive reaction to being tugged around was to fight back, but once he’d caught on to the intention, a small smile broke across his lips. **“You don’t mind?”** he added cautiously, a probably unnecessary question by this point but he was always just a little nervous that any surprise show of affection would be ripped away from him again without warning. Moments like this rarely lasted long enough in his life, and they were almost always followed by something wholeheartedly negative.

Not this time though, because although Ed’s sigh sounded impatient again, he was at least smiling when he shook his head, turning his gaze swiftly back to what he was working on. And as Oswald watched his hands move across the papers in front of him, the now far more gentle sounding voice came down from over his head again. **“I weaken all men for hours each day, and show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back. None suffer to have me, but do from my lack. What am I?”**

There were times when the incessant riddles were irritating, but right now those words sounded like a lullaby to his ears, and Oz even heard the shift in his own tone as his answer came out from behind a smile. **“Sleep.”**

**“Exactly,”** Ed replied, the hand not currently holding a pen subconsciously moving down to run along the loose few strands of Oswald’s hair that fell down against his neck, **“So do so. I’ll have this finished by the morning.”** The other man had no intention of resisting this time, and his eyes were soon drifting shut again to the sound of pen scratching paper, and the feeling of fingers slowly running across his skin. He’d tried to stay awake, tried to help, and that was what mattered. Besides, Ed worked much better like this anyway.


End file.
